I'd totally make that move any day of the week but can't deal with the perpetually gloomy weather. Overall though Washington seems great.

Yes, it's perpetually gloomy. No sunshine at all, it's raining right now. Terrible quality of life. You made the right decision.

Seattle in the summer is extraordinary (and currently "74F and mostly sunny") but undeniably pretty gloomy for a large chunk of the year

Seattle seems about like Pittsburgh with less snow and more job opportunities. It was beautiful the times I've worked out there. I could probably live there. https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/pittsburgh_pa/seat...

To be honest, speaking as a transplant, it is really great up here. We moved from Austin and haven't regretted it for a second (and the whole family loved Austin too). Instead of having a miserable summer that lasts from April to October, we have a miserable winter that lasts from November to March. Taxes are about par, government is (imho) quite a bit more sane, the job market is broader and deeper, public schools are better, and the scenery is gorgeous when not hidden by clouds.

Can you explain the math here ? If you make $500k, at 9% progressive, it will be like 6% flat with all deductions. So tax will be $30k. Then you take a 10% pay cut. So you are losing $50k. So you lose $50k, and gain $30k. That’s negative $20k. Even if you keep your salary same, your mortgage has to be roughly $2.5k/month. That’s a 1 bedroom condo.

He didn't live in a city in washington